News: Associated Press National Football League Most Valuable Player Voting

[DallasEast]

AP NFL MVP Voting​

By The Associated Press
February 5, 2026

The top five in voting for the 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player selected by The Associated Press in balloting by a nationwide panel of media with total points and first-place votes. Voters ranked players one through five with scoring on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis:

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: 366 points (24 first-place votes)
Drake Maye, New England: 361 (23)
Josh Allen, Buffalo: 91 (2)
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco: 71
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville, 49
Others with first-place votes: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (1)

https://apnews.com/article/ap-nfl-mvp-voting-c5bba3c35a1e86e8111568aaea1d8f8f

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

While I don’t agree with voting for Herbert, the guy who did explained his reasoning in detail and I respect that

 

[MarcusRock]

While I don’t agree with voting for Herbert, the guy who did explained his reasoning in detail and I respect that

What I want to see is if Justin Herbert fans use that 1 MVP vote to say he's elite to the "haters." Lol.

 

[GINeric]

What I want to see is if Justin Herbert fans use that 1 MVP vote to say he's elite to the "haters." Lol.

The Chargers probably have smart fans. Im pretty sure that the Chargers fans aren't the dumb, low IQ, cowardly type to claim to be a Chargers fan but root against the Chargers players.

Picture that.... cheering for a team, but cheering against the players on the same team to do well.....

 

[big dog cowboy]

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: 366 points (24 first-place votes)
Drake Maye, New England: 361 (23)

Closest ever? Seems like it would be.

Side note - How did JSN not get any votes? Or Garrett?

 

[DallasEast]

I'm guessing the AP received so much questioning, about their 1st/2nd/3rd/4th/5th place scoring system over the past few years, that they finally said forget it. Give them the 1st place vote breakdown. They don't care (or can figure out) the other four rounds of voting anyway, lol.

 

[maryquality]

Closest ever? Seems like it would be.

Side note - How did JSN not get any votes? Or Garrett?

Seems like this award is mostly given to QB's. However, they'll throw in a RB here and there. LOL

 

[DallasEast]

Closest ever? Seems like it would be.

Side note - How did JSN not get any votes? Or Garrett?

There are 50 Associated Press voters. Each voter picks five players. I'm guessing all 50 voters decided both players were not MVP caliber this season, because players who did not receive 1st-ballot votes (Christian McCaffrey & Trevor Lawrence) were still listed also.

 

[gtb1943]

I bet the difference was that Stafford got it as a sort of Career Acknowledgement award
Maye has plenty of years to get it
Honestly, I would have been fine with either; though I think I would have gone with Maye

 

[nate dizzle]

I bet the difference was that Stafford got it as a sort of Career Acknowledgement award
Maye has plenty of years to get it
Honestly, I would have been fine with either; though I think I would have gone with Maye

Strong case to be made for either of them. Honestly feel JA was a better candidate than Stafford based on the roster he played with. Buffalo is a 3 win team if they played with an average QB.

 

[Relayer]

I'm guessing the AP received so much questioning, about their 1st/2nd/3rd/4th/5th place scoring system over the past few years, that they finally said forget it. Give them the 1st place vote breakdown. They don't care (or can figure out) the other four rounds of voting anyway, lol.

Probably because if nobody voted you for 1st nobody actually thought you were MVP.

 

[Relayer]

I bet the difference was that Stafford got it as a sort of Career Acknowledgement award
Maye has plenty of years to get it
Honestly, I would have been fine with either; though I think I would have gone with Maye

I don't think enough people actually watch them play and just go with stats.

 

[DallasEast]

Probably because if nobody voted you for 1st nobody actually thought you were MVP.

That would not be the point. Otherwise, why publish the names of any players who did not receive first-place votes? This year, the AP published Christian McCaffrey and Trevor Lawrence in the running for the award. One received 71 points. The other? 49. All those points were from the second, third, fourth and/or fifth place votes. None of their votes were from first-place balloting.

 

[acr731]

What I want to see is if Justin Herbert fans use that 1 MVP vote to say he's elite to the "haters." Lol.

That only happens here.......

 

[Captain-Crash]

Maye all day.

 

[Creeper]

Not a single defensive player got a vote? Myles Garrett set the single season sack record for the Browns and won defensive player of the year but no one thought he deserved a vote of Herbert or Lawrence? or even McCaffrey?

The MVP appears to be a "Best QB" award.

 

[gtb1943]

Not a single defensive player got a vote? Myles Garrett set the single season sack record for the Browns and won defensive player of the year but no one thought he deserved a vote of Herbert or Lawrence? or even McCaffrey?

The MVP appears to be a "Best QB" award.

In a way I can see the logic; the QB is the single most valuable player on most teams. Of course there are the bad QBs and those that are bus drivers but by and large the winning teams have QBs that are truly the SINGLE most valuable player on the team

 

[OGSixshooter]

What I want to see is if Justin Herbert fans use that 1 MVP vote to say he's elite to the "haters." Lol.

"near-MVP" award winner officially with that one vote. Welcome to the club Justin.

 

[Yobwocs]

Just saying. Maybe there's a reason most of these players win MVP

 

[gtb1943]

Just saying. Maybe there's a reason most of these players win MVP

the outliers are interesting
Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Adrian Peterson and Lamar Jackson